


Midnight Blossom

by midorimortem



Series: Chronicles of Diable Jambe [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Caring Roronoa Zoro, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji Bickering, Toko (mentioned), Zoro's got and instant crush and doesn't know what to do with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28023117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midorimortem/pseuds/midorimortem
Summary: Zoro stays until late at the bar after a very bad day at work. While taking out the trash, he helps a mysterious beauty stay safe and invites her a drink.
Relationships: Kozuki Hiyori/Roronoa Zoro
Series: Chronicles of Diable Jambe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854367
Comments: 19
Kudos: 28





	Midnight Blossom

**Author's Note:**

> The cocktail in this one-shot is called [ Sake Blossom ](https://www.hakushika.co.jp/en/enjoy/images/sp_img04_sake_blossom.jpg)

Zoro was in a very foul mood. He had to take the late-night shift after he had just taken three tests at school that evening. He had to split a fight between two brutes and he had to kick out a customer who thought it was a good idea to flirt with Nami and get a little bit too grabby with her. Sanji was busy at the moment it happened, but he would have killed the guy if he had only heard what he was saying to the poor waitress, who tried to wave him off to no avail.

To make it all worse, a very drunk college girl had spilled her drink on him. And she dared to scream at him until 5 minutes before closing time that it had been his fault. Definitely, Zoro could only wish he could go home and crash against his pillow for the next ten hours.

Zoro told the others to go home when work was over, he’d close the place once he had gotten himself some clean clothes and he’d be on his way home in about ten minutes. Even if Usopp offered to give him a ride, Zoro refused and smiled tiredly, saying he’d take the chance to take out the trash before leaving. He’d better not make anyone wait.

In reality, he just wanted to pour himself a drink with no one telling him not to do it in front of the customers. A really nice, yet expensive drink he’d been hoping to test for an entire week that was resting unopened behind the counter ever since it arrived. He’d explain later, but he wanted some of that imported sake now.

The green haired man changed his uniform to a pair of black pants and a comfy pullover, and he left his apron hanging inside the staff room’s locker. He decided it was better to do as he had said and take out the trash before leaving, or he’d never hear the end of it; not only had he opened the expensive bottle for himself, but he had also let the trash reeking on the kitchenette.

He grabbed the plastic bags and pushed his way out of the bar into the back alley. He dropped the trash into the corresponding bins and lowered the lids, dusting his hands against his chest after doing so to remove any unwanted grime to stick to his skin.

As he was about to turn around and get back inside the bar, something stopped him dead on his tracks. Zoro always insisted the streets around the bar were poorly illuminated and not very transitated, which made them quite dangerous, but Sanji and Luffy always insisted that if it was close to Main Street, the area would always be crowded. But the thing was, all bars and restaurants were closed at those early hours. And it, indeed, was a very dangerous neighborhood around that time.

At first he only heard a couple of rushing steps coming closer to where he was and he froze as he tried to make out if someone was running to get home, or if they were being chased or if someone had seen him and had come after him. But just as he decided it was probably the former, a woman screamed for help, confirming his suspicions. Zoro’s body rushed with adrenaline and a tint of fear, but he was not someone who’d stand around and watch people get hurt. 

The other pair of stomping feet were far away, but the chased woman was very close to where he was. He jumped over and intercepted her, making sure to cover her mouth to stop her from screaming. The chaser wasn’t as close as he thought he was, and Zoro could hide her behind the trash bins if she managed to keep her mouth shut.

“Shh! Shhh! I want to help you!” He whispered, making the girl stare at him but still covering her mouth with his fingers. She seemed like she was about to cry, fighting back at him for release, but Zoro kept a firm stance and pulled her into the alley. In retrospective, he thought it wasn’t the best idea to help her calm down, but it was the only one he could muster at the moment.

For someone that seemed so thin, she was giving him one hell of a fight, but Zoro managed to push her behind the bins, both falling sideways to the ground, thankfully not making any noise. He jumped on his feet and crouched after he made sure the woman would not scream, and eavesdropped from the alley into the poorly lit street. There was no one around, but Zoro could still hear footsteps. The creep following her had probably run at large from their location. The girl seemed to realize this and her whimpering stopped for a while, as if she was holding her breath.

“Calm down, I’m seriously trying to help you!” Zoro said angrily, keeping the woman down on her knees before she tried to flee and probably be found again by her chaser. “He’s gone, please keep calm.”

“A-are you sure?” She asked, her voice trembling. The bartender couldn’t help but notice she had a very sweet and gentle voice, even if she sounded scared to death.

Zoro nodded and pointed back at the bar, hoping to convince her to go inside without getting into another fight.

“I work here, it’s a bar. I was just about to close, but you can come in if you want and make some calls or something.” He said, scratching the back of his neck like he always did when he got anxious.

The woman doubted, but then she nodded, probably because it was better to go inside with a kind stranger than to remain outside waiting for a crazy freak to find her again. Zoro opened the backdoor for her and let her inside, flipping the lights on once again. 

Now that he saw her, he understood even less how someone like her could put up such a fight, but he imagined it was because of the fight or flight instinct that kicked in at the right moment. Zoro was not one to look much into people’s appearances, but he had to admit his uninvited guest was beautiful. She had long, slick teal hair that fell down to her waist, pale skin and deep blue eyes, as well as a pair of soft, rosy lips. If he wasn’t so tired he’d probably be awed by her beauty, but he seriously craved that bottle waiting for him at the counter.

“Thank you for helping me.” She said, shivering slightly from the cold and the adrenaline still rushing through her blood. 

“It 's nothing. But… if you don’t mind me asking… what were you doing alone at this hour? This is quite dangerous at this time.” Zoro asked as he got behind the counter, finally laying his hands on that goddamn bottle.

“I was taking care of a friend’s daughter. My house is not far from here, so I thought I could just make my way back with no problem, but…”

“A creep tried to mug you.”

“I’m not sure mug is the only thing he’d have done.” She said with fear in her voice and both of them remained silent for a few minutes, until she broke the silence again and smiled kindly. “But it’s fine now, all thanks to you.”

“Next time make sure you go back earlier, or search for another job. It’s not worth putting yourself at risk for a few bucks.”

“I… I don’t get paid for that. I do it because I really care for that girl.” The woman said, looking away for a while as if lost in thought.

“I’m sure her parents can get someone to look out for her. Or at least ask them to let you stay on their couch. It’s not worth the while if you get hurt.”

“I can’t stay at the orphanage past 2 am.” She said bluntly,

_Oh._

Zoro shook his head, not wanting to argue anymore. It was obviously a sensitive subject and he really wanted that drink. And, for now, it looked like the woman needed it too. He offered her his phone and tried to pay as little attention to her as she called her roommate, who was clearly worried about her and offered to go pick her up at the bar. In the meanwhile, he searched beneath the table for a couple of sake cups. 

The woman returned the phone and waited in silence, but noticed he had brought up a cup for her too. For a second, Zoro doubted. Weird brows would be really angry at him for this… but if he told him he’d opened it to help a beauty in a dire situation, he’d surely forget and forgive sooner than later. 

Zoro: _< Hey, I’m opening the Zaku Miyabi. Something happened while closing shop. Tell u later. >_

Sanji didn’t take long to reply.

Weird Brows: _< idc!!!!! u can’t open it marimo!!! it’s for a very special occasion only!!!!(ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ ) u know how expensive that is?!!!>_

Zoro smiled, his screen full with angry emojis and a few mean words. He made sure the camera had no flashes on and snapped a picture of the girl who was sitting before him as she stared distractedly at the decorations behind the bar. He sent it and in a few seconds, more emojis kept showing up.

Weird Brows: < ٩(♡ε♡ )۶ >

Weird Brows: < ლ(´◉❥◉｀ლ) >

Weird Brows: < (꒪ཀ꒪) >

Zoro: _< Sorry, can’t talk, I’m gonna walk her home _(:3 」∠)_ She needs a drink, bye.>_

Weird Brows: _< mARIMO DON’T U DARE DO ANYTHING TO HER _٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶ _>_

Zoro turned off his phone and opened the bottle with steady hands, hoping not to spill a single drop over the counter. Then, he stopped before he poured the beverage on the cups and withdrew one of them, taking out a tall glass instead.

“You look like you need a nice drink. I’m no expert but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” Zoro said, trying to give her a comforting smile. The girl smiled back, but didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at him with interest. 

The green haired man poured an ounce of the expensive sake on a mixing glass and half an ounce of peach liquor, mixing both of them with a bit of lemon juice, clear syrup and shaved ice. He shook the ingredients vigorously and rested the mixing glass on an ice tray, then waited a couple of minutes for it to chill. He poured the mix into the tall glass and poured another bit of warm sake over the glass, stirring gently afterwards. Zoro skillfully sliced a pair of small plums with a kitchen knife, throwing them into the air for show. Then, he placed them atop of the drink, and offered it to her. 

“That was marvelous! But… I can’t possibly accept this, mister…”

“Zoro”, he said, scratching the back of his neck. He noticed he was blushing a bit, so he poured sake on his cup to avoid staring at her. “Don’t worry, it’s on the house. I’ve already told the owner, he says it's fine.”

“It’s delicious”, the woman said, sipping from the glass carefully and smiling at the aftertaste. The syrup and the peach liqueur made it really good. “I’m Hiyori. Very nice to meet you.”

“Hope it hadn’t happened because someone was chasing after you.”

“You are a true savior, Zoro-san.” She said, and it startled him a bit. He wasn’t used to listening to honorifics ever since he came to the city, but it sounded nice when it rolled from her lips. Zoro smiled. He hadn’t felt this way about anything other than swords for a long time. “I think I might come around this bar at some other time.” 

“I guess… you could come after visiting your little friend at the orphanage and I could walk you home.”

Hiyori smiled. Zoro didn’t know if she was mocking him or if it was a genuine, gentle smile, but she laughed softly and nodded. He didn’t know what to do or say in this kind of situation. Sanji was the one who always picked on female customers… damn, even Nami knew how to sweet talk girls better than him. Perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries...

“Or maybe you could come with me to the orphanage one day. Toko-chan loves superheroes and is obsessed with justice and all that. I’m sure she’d really like you.”

“She sounds like a wonderful lady.”

“Ah, she surely is.” Hiyori said and took out a piece of paper from her purse. A check. She wrote a large number Zoro could barely read and, beneath it, her full name and her phone number. “Here. I’ll pay for my drink, Mr. Samurai.”

“This is more than enough to buy the entire bottle, miss.” He said with eyes wide open in surprise, taking his time to read the entire amount of money she’d just paid. “Besides, this one’s on me, I’ve told you.”

“Then I’ll pay for more drinks in the future and a nice conversation with you.”

Zoro smiled coyly and stopped complaining, putting the check inside the register and finishing his drink just to pour another one immediately afterwards. Surely Sanji wouldn’t miss it.

**Author's Note:**

> I love this pairing and I have wanted to write something about them for a while, though it's really hard to imagine Zoro having feelings for anything other than swords and loyalty for his captain.
> 
> Kudos and comments are loved!


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